Illinois Fighting Illini Still Projected to Reach Bowl Eligibility
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The vibes surrounding the Illinois Fighting Illini football program are the lowest they've been in years.
Four weeks in, the Illini are 2-2. Illinois has beaten both of the Group of Six and FCS opponents it has faced, but has lost in gutting fashion to both Power Four opponents it has played. The wins over UAB and Southern Illinois aren't quite enough to cancel out the Fighting Illini's collapse against Duke and blowout defeat to Ohio State.
The cherry on top is that Illinois is now without a defensive coordinator. Less than eight months after convincing former Montana head coach Bobby Hauck to come out of his short-lived retirement, the Illini and Hauck mutually agreed to part ways. That leaves Illinois searching for his replacement with eight weeks remaining in the season.
Despite Illinois' struggles to start the year, Bret Bielema's squad is still projected to win at least six games and make a bowl game. In ESPN's latest bowl predictions, both Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach predicted that the Illini will be playing football in December.
Bonagura slated Illinois for the Frisco Football Classic against Louisiana (3-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) held in Frisco, Texas, on Dec. 15. The Frisco Football Classic is a new bowl game, previously named the Xbox Bowl, and entering its second year. Illinois has never faced off against the Ragin' Cajuns in its 135-season program history.
Meanwhile, Schlabach predicted that the Fighting Illini would play against Army in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. The Dallas-based bowl game is set for Jan. 2, 2027, and will be the 17th in its history.
Illinois has played Army eight times, most recently in the 1985 Peach Bowl. Most of the matchups occurred between 1929 and 1948, which includes a 0-0 tie at Yankee Stadium in 1947. The Black Knights hold a 4-3-1 all-time record against the Fighting Illini.
ESPN wasn't the only outlet to have Illinois destined for the postseason. On3's Brett McMurphy slotted the Illini in for the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29 against Oklahoma. Illinois and Oklahoma have never played each other in college football.
Illinois is currently 2-2 (0-1 B1G) and has quite a hefty task ahead of it as it fully enters Big Ten play. After facing Purdue (1-3) and Michigan State (2-2) over the next two weeks, the Illini will close out the back half of their season against No. 15 Oregon (3-1), Maryland (2-2), Nebraska (4-0), No. 23 UCLA (4-0), No. 14 Iowa (4-0) and Northwestern (2-1).
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